Reasons We Get Stuck / Getting Unstuck

COMMUNION -- EIGHT REASONS WE GET STUCK....
     GETTING UNSTUCK

LifeCare Communion Service 9/22/11
Listen to the audio for more in depth information on this lesson.

Ever been stuck?   Stuck in traffic, stuck at a train track, stuck in an elevator, stuck in a ditch..stuck on the side of the road? stuck in gum?
What kind of emotions and thoughts happen when you are stuck?

My Vega story – gas pedal stuck – ended up in a ditch – never going to get out of there without some help.. been there?
   traffic jam – start texting – letting everyone know we’re going to be late,  looking for a way around it… another quick exit

Let’s face it… none of us really like being stuck.. or do we?

Eight Reasons We Get Stuck
1) We avoid putting the biblical principles into practice that we have already learned.
Maybe we have ‘selective obedience’?
 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the  Spirit”
                                - Galatians 5:25
Sometimes we simply try to rush through our healing.. rush to our growth… we have to remember it is a process but at the same time, as God gives us revelation, we must put it into practice.

2) We have not completely surrendered our life and will to the Lord.
“For good judgment and common sense, trust in the Lord completely; don’t ever trust in yourself.  In everything you do, put  God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”                    
                        - Proverbs 3:5-6
We have to ask ourselves what part(s) of our lives we are still holding on to.. trying to control, fix, handle?…We must let God be the Lord & Manager of our lives.

3) We have not fully accepted Jesus’ work on the cross for our forgiveness.
I think the real issue here is: have you forgiven yourself?  That’s where I see most people get stuck and not able to move on..

4) We really have not forgiven others who have harmed us.
“After you have suffered a little while, our God, who is full of kindness through Christ, will give you his eternal glory.  He personally will pick you up, and set you firmly in place and make you stronger than ever.”  - 1 Peter 5:10-11

As we consider forgiveness, we cannot avoid dealing with suffering.. and for many of us.. it is a huge struggle and an added suffering we go through when we push through the process of forgiveness.  Keep at it!  That is what God requires… ask Him for His grace to forgive…Until we are able to let go of debt/ release it to the Lord, we will remain a prisoner.  ‘letting go of a caged bird to discover the bird is you’

5) We are afraid of the risk in making the necessary changes in our lives.
“Fear not, for I am with you.  Do not be dismayed…I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”        
                           – Isaiah 41:10
What are some of our fears related to making changes in our lives:
- fear of failure    - fear of intimacy – fear of rejection   - fear of being hurt (again)  - fear of the unknown
My life is a mess, my relationships are a mess, but at least I know what to expect… all together now:  “A mess!”  We get comfortable with our ‘unhealthiness’.

6) We are not willing to “own” our responsibility.
“Examine me, O God, and know my mind: test me, and discover….if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way”  - Psalm 139:23
None of us is responsible for everything that happens to us.. however, we are responsible for how we respond to it.
Discuss abuse here

7) We have not developed an effective support team.
“Be with wise men and become wise.  Be with evil men and become evil”  – Proverbs 13:20
Are you letting people help you… support you, encourage you, challenge you, hold you accountable?

8) We have a lack of knowledge in spiritual warfare.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after  you have done everything, to stand…
…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace…
…In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…
…And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” – Ephesians 6: 13-18

How can we overcome?
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Revelation 12:10-12


Tonight is an opportunity to celebrate what God has already done in our lives… it is also our opportunity to get unstuck – to overcome…or keep from getting stuck.

Do you realize that physical exercise helps us fight off colds and infections?  The theory is that a good workout puts our body in a condition similar to what happens at the onset of a fever. A fever is the body’s way of fighting back when intruders get into our system. Increased body temperature aids our white blood-cell defense system while slowing down the action of bacteria and viruses.  Exercise does the same thing. It releases chemicals into the blood that stimulate the brain to make our temperature rise.

We must have regular practices of spiritual exercise that benefit the health of our soul & spirit and keeps us from getting stuck or gets us unstuck.

God’s exercise program is one of faith and obedience.  So what can we do?

- if you related to any of the reasons we get stuck, start there..
- follow His instructions (Bible, Holy Spirit promptings)
- walk in love as Christ walked in love
- don’t walk alone – ask for help if needed
- confess your sins and failures to God regularly.. do not allow anything to come between you

The communion table represents that opportunity – a time to confess & receive grace once again - An opportunity to be restored to right relationship with God and an invitation to healing, victory, getting unstuck!  And just as physical exercise releases chemicals into the blood for healing.. we will believe, in faith, that this communion, taking the symbolic body & blood of Christ, He will release in us all that is needed to break through – get unstuck if needed or simply move a step further in our personal growth.

Note: portions of this material comes from the Celebrate Recovery principle #8.


GROUP WORK
 EIGHT REASONS WE GET STUCK...GETTING UNSTUCK

1.  Do you believe you are stuck?  If not, have you ever been stuck before?
        Of the 8 reasons... what were the reasons?  Share specifics if you are willing.

2.  Share with the group how you are going to take steps in one of the Eight areas to break free/ get unstuck or.. simply to take another step in the right direction?

3.  Considering what Jesus did for us (connection to communion), what hope can we take in being able to get unstuck or to continue to move forward in our healing/ growth?

4.  What is a specific prayer request you have of the group this week as it relates to your walk with Christ and the path to serenity you are on?

THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE WALL

THE PATHWAY TO HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY -  THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE WALL – LETTING GO

The Christian life is a journey – A journey involves movement, action, stops and starts, detours, delays, and trips into the unknown.  Think for a moment about the day your journey started… your journey in following Christ.  What was that like?  What were the days and months like that followed?  Was your first year like a honeymoon or more like death or both?  What has your journey been like over the years?  Do you see any patterns.. any places that represent some of the terminology I just used in defining journey?   WOW.. I do…  (audio - some of my story)

Now.. let’s think about some of the people in the Bible..  what were their journeys like?  Abraham.  Moses.  David.  Do you see some differences?  Do you see similarities?  What about those you know right now – what do you see?

So, what’s this business about ‘a wall’ as this lesson is titled?  Pastor Scazzero explains the wall as being a part of the stages of faith.  Let’s go through them together as he writes in “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality”.

Each stage/season builds upon the other. Just as physically, we grow from babies to adults, faith grows/ or spirituality grows / builds in stages or seasons.

Stage 1: Life-Changing Awareness of God – the beginning of our journey when we become aware of His reality.  We realize our need of Him and His mercy and grace – we start our relationship.

Stage 2: Discipleship – characterized by learning about God and getting to know Him.  We are learning what it means to be a Christ follower – we get connected in a community and get rooted in the disciplines of the faith.

Stage 3: The Active Life – the ‘doing’ stage. We get involved and actively serve – work for God.  We take responsibility for using our talents and gifts.

Stage 4: The Wall and the Journey Inward – The wall compels us into an Inward Journey – hopefully.  What could this possibly mean for us?  I believe the author is trying to communicate to us that there comes a time where we get stuck it seems – there’s a wall.  It is in this place that the Lord is attempting to get our attention to go inward which is where we can grow and heal.  Do many stop here or try to skip over it?  What do you think?  I think so.

LifeCare is starting up a ministry called the Synergy Gathering - a place where everyone fits!  A place where we can take an Upward, Inward, and Outward Journey together as God leads...

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Which leads us to the next stage…in our lesson tonight.

Stage 5: The Journey Outward – Once we pass through the wall and go through our inward journey, we begin once again, to ‘do’ for God.  We may even return to doing the same things we were doing in service before or it could be something new .. regardless, what makes it different now is that our service comes from a heart of love.. our ‘doing’ comes from having a grounded center in God – We are at the place where we have discovered and rely on God’s deep perfect, unconditional love for us – all of which impacts our work for Him.

Stage 6: Transformed by Love – God, who is love continues to send books, people, circumstances, etc to keep us moving forward.  Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

He is faithful and determined to complete His work in us – whether we like it or not!  J  His goal as written by John Wesley is that we be made perfect in love, that Christ’s love becomes our love both toward God and others.  We realize love truly is the beginning and the end.  By this stage, the perfect love of God has driven out all fear (1John 4:18).  And our spiritual lives are all about surrender and obedience to God’s perfect will.

Let me share a couple of real life examples of what this looks like – I recently read a book called “Crazy Love”.  I highly recommend it.  Here are a couple of real life examples of people living the ‘surrendered life’.. the life of full devotion to Christ.

 - Rich Mullins, Cornerstone Community Church, Rings (see "Crazy Love" or listen to audio)

Let’s go back to Stage 4 – what do you think prevents people from moving through this stage?  What do you think brings them to this stage?  I think for most of us, the wall appears through a crisis:   death, job loss, divorce, financial challenges, depression, a bad diagnosis, even a negative experience at a church or with fellow believers.  God can and will use a variety of life circumstances to get our attention to the need for the inward journey.  The choice is ours to make it of course .. but the opportunity is there in our painful situation.  I think it was Dr. James Dobson from Focus on the Family that coined the term having a ‘crisis of faith’.. He talked about this extensively as he discussed the book he wrote “When God Doesn’t Make Sense”.  During the tough times, we go through doubts.  We question, the church, God, or faith.  In fact, it seems like we have more questions than answers.  Sometimes our wall is a series of events that pile on one after the other.. and we feel we are breaking underneath the load of it.  Nothing seems to work anymore – our prayers, our duties, our efforts, etc..  all of which are really means to go over around or under the wall.  The wall represents that inward journey – that journey into the pain we have been discussing.  We must go through it in order to get to the other side.  Will we go through the wall only once?  I think not… as we consider Paul, Moses, Jeremiah, Elijah and many others in the word.. it seems that they went through several walls in their lifetime.  Why?  Well it seems that we all have some tendencies to get too comfortable.  We get complacent.  God will use those times as opportunities to take us even deeper inward until there is no more. So.. what does a healthy faith… a healthy response to the wall look like?

Well it definitely doesn’t do what most do.. ‘count it all joy’.. speak Romans 8:28 immediately.. it doesn’t pretend there are no emotions surrounding this event.. it doesn’t ‘act like’ it’s strong for the weaker in the faith but inside the voices are different..  It doesn’t smile and keep on singing…

A genuine faith…emotionally healthy faith, admits the following:

§        I am bewildered

§        I don’t know what God is doing right now

§        I am hurt

§        I am angry

§        Yes, this is a mystery.. maybe I’ll never get it or understand

§        I am very sad right now

§        God, why have you forsaken me?

When we are in this place it may feel as if God’s presence has evaporated as described in “Dark Night of the Soul”.  We feel the door of heaven has been shut. We feel the darkness, helplessness, weariness, a sense of failure and defeat, emptiness, dryness.  The Christian disciplines that have served us for so long, just don’t seem to work during this time.

What could God be up to during this time?  What is he purging and purifying in our lives?

St. John of the Cross wrote the following as well.. His perspective was that ‘the dark night is a loving fire’ to free us.  He lists 7 deadly spiritual imperfections that must be purified:

1.    Pride:  if this is an issue we will have a tendency to condemn others and become impatient with their faults.  If we have pride… we may be very selective on who we let teach us. (note – I believe we can learn something from ANYONE) – get your eyes off the messenger and on the message.

2.    Avarice: (def excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain : greediness, cupidity )  discontent with the spirituality God gives us. Never have enough learning, are always reading many books rather than growing in poverty of spirit and our interior life.  more and more knowledge with little or no action...

3.      Luxury:  take more pleasure in the spiritual blessings of God than God Himself.

4.    Wrath:  easily irritated, lacking sweetness, and have little patience to wait on God

5.    spiritual gluttony: resist the cross and choose pleasures like children do.  I would also say this would be considered using our liberties without taking others into consideration / causing them to stumble - we use our liberties in appropriately

6.    spiritual envy:  feel unhappy when others do well spiritually.  Always comparing and complaining

7.    Sloth: run from that which is hard. Aim is spiritual sweetness and good feelings only

We discussed in earlier classes about the importance of emotions / paying attention to our feelings in order to know God and ourselves.  “The dark night of the soul” protects us from worshiping them or giving them greater place than they should in our lives.  Our pursuit of God cannot be based upon feelings and experiences.  They are important but .. they cannot be the priority.

How long will this last? – when we go through the dark night or hit the wall and need to go through it?  It varies for everyone.. the length of time, the intensity, it is all different.  Will it only happen once?  Probably not.. sorry for the bad news..  God has predestined us to be conformed into the image of His son.  One way this happens is through the wall.. through the dark nights.  Keep in mind that we are not talking about the typical annoyances and trials of life.. this is not about traffic jams, annoying bosses, cars breaking down, barking dogs in the middle of the night, etc.  These are what James refers to in James 1:2-4

Trials and Temptations

 ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Walls are David fleeing from a jealous king for 13 years in the desert.  Walls are Abraham waiting 25 years for the birth of his first child. Wall are Job losing his 10 children, health and possessions in a day!

Next class we will discuss what life is like on the other side.. we do have blessing to look forward to.

THE PATHWAY TO HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY - LESSON 11:   GROUP WORK

THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE WALL – LETTING GO

1.       As you consider the stages/ seasons of faith where would you currently say you are?  Share your journey that brought you to this point.

2.       Share your reaction to the real life stories shared from ‘Crazy Love’.

3.       What has been your ‘wall’(s) during your walk with the Lord?

4.       Of the 7 deadly imperfections that need to be purified in us as we grow in Christ, which are those you have seen change and those that God is currently purging from your life?

Pride:  Avarice: Luxury: Wrath:  spiritual gluttony: spiritual envy:  Sloth: